An Introspective of A CSI Romance
by Jaclyn Parker
Summary: A look into the lives of Calleigh & Eric as they learn to be in a relationship a long time coming. Series of one shot stories. Note: Will range from K to maybe M. & other characters will appear too. FINALLY UPDATED with CHAPTER 7!
1. An Exercise In Happiness

**Author's Note: This idea came to me the other night and by the time I realized what had happened, I had written 3 of theses things written already. LOL It's my first time writing for CSI: Miami so I hope you all like them!**

An Introspective Into A CSI Romance  
by Jaclyn Parker

Chapter 1: An Exercise in Happiness  
***********************************************************************

Calleigh was just finishing cleaning off her kitchen counter when she heard the knock at her door. Tossing the sponge back at the sink and rolling her eyes when it bounced off and landed on the floor, she headed to answer it.

Opening her door, she frowned seeing no one in her view. Poking her head out, she cast a curious glance at Eric when she noticed him plastered against the hallway wall. He looked back and forth down the hallway in a hurried motion.

"Eric, what…?" Calleigh started to ask as he gently forced her back inside, the brown paper bag he carried acting as a barrier between their bodies.

"Don't worry. No one saw me. I drove around for five minutes and then parked three blocks over behind a large building. I was going to paint my car a different color but I didn't have time to do that and stop to pick up beer." Eric said, his brown eyes sparkling as he looked down at her and after a moment Calleigh laughed.

"You're crazy, you know that?" She said, her own emerald green gaze shining back at him. "Sometimes I think you enjoy playing secret agent with our relationship."

Eric paused and his smile slipped into a frown. "Hey, you know that if I could I would run up and down the halls at work telling them about us. I love being with you, Cal, and I'm proud of our relationship."

Calleigh also paused, not expecting such a serious answer to her statement. Her eyes looked away from his intense gaze for a second as she gathered herself together to reply. As unexpected as his words were, there was no denying the rush of happiness that they caused inside of her.

Looking back at him, she gave him a soft smile and brushed her fingers over the slight five o'clock shadow that was forming along his jaw.

Eric knew that while Calleigh knew how he felt about her – that he loved her – she wasn't ready to hear those exact words or say them back. And that was fine with him because he knew going in, that this relationship was different than anything that they had both ever been in and while there were going to be many things for them to overcome, they were both in it for the long haul.

"Anyway, don't lie. You just want to brag to Ryan." Calleigh added lightly, her eyes sending him a silent plea.

Eric turned his face slightly to kiss the inside of her palm before letting her off the hook of a serious moment.

"Okay, so maybe I do want to tell him about us but can you blame me? After the way he follows you around like a puppy dog, everything inside of me wants to tell him that _I'm_ the one who gets such a sexy and amazing woman for a girlfriend."

She was still laughing as he bent down to capture her mouth in a kiss. The laughter turned quickly into a soft moan and she took a step forward to get closer to him. But the crinkle of the brown paper bag in between them and the sharp edges of a six-pack holder poking into the chest area of her tank top, stopped all movement.

"Oops. Don't want to crush the bottles." Eric said, pulling away and smiling at her.

Calleigh's eyes fell to that bottom lip that so often drove her crazy; calling her name even as when they stood together in a glass lab in the middle of work.

With something akin to a low growl, she took the brown bag and hastily placed it down on the small table in the foyer where she placed her mail and keys at the end of the day. Then reaching for him, she grabbed a handful of his blue and green patterned button down shirt and yanked him towards her.

Eric was no fool and despite the small laugh he gave, he went willingly. Pulling her into his embrace, they pushed their bodies together in what was a proper kiss hello. Alternating between deep and slow and quick and playful nibbles, it wasn't long before they both knew that a few moments longer and they wouldn't just be kissing.

Calleigh was the first to pull back, Eric's lips and body instinctively following her backward until her small giggle forced him to open his eyes. They both had dazed looks and their chests hitched with the effort to take deep breaths and calm their bodies down.

"Did you…" Calleigh broke off at the breathless tone her voice held. Clearing her throat she tried again. "Did you bring the movie?"

It took Eric a moment to comprehend her question as he had been too busy thinking of things like his Uncle Ramon's toupee to get his mind off their kiss. He frowned and bit his lip.

"Oh, crap. I knew there was something I forgot!"

"Eric! I was really looking forward to watching it. You know it's one of my favorites." Calleigh said, her lips turning down in a pretty pout. Then her eyes narrowed as she looked into her boyfriend's face and noticed the twitch to his mouth that he was trying to suppress. Reaching back she swatted his arm and let out a huff of indignation. "You didn't forget, did you?"

Eric couldn't keep it together anymore and let out a laugh at the intensified twang to her annoyed words. Pulling her to him again in a quick hug, he let her go and picked up the brown bag again. Slipping off his shoes, he kicked them under the foyer table where her rain boots with ladybugs on them rested. Carrying the bag into the kitchen, he pulled out the DVD case and waved it over his shoulder in her direction.

Turning he saw that she had followed him and was now reaching for it. Placing the bag down on the table he held the case just out of her reach and watched with an amused smirk as she tried standing on her tiptoes for it. Then he noticed that as she reached, her tank top rose up from where it met the top of her rolled Victoria Secret sweatpants, allowing a nice peek of the cream colored skin along her waist and hips. Eric swallowed hard and blinked, his game of "keep away" momentarily forgotten.

In one swift movement, Calleigh claimed the DVD for herself with a noise of triumph. Sending an impertinent look his way, she stuck her tongue out at him and flipped the case over to scan the back.

Eric shook himself out of his very carnal thoughts and rolled his eyes at her child-like gesture. But he couldn't help the smile that was on his face at the same time. Eric wondered briefly if it would ever cease to amaze him that she was allowing him to see the unguarded and fun side to the very independent Calleigh Duquesne. Almost immediately after that thought he recognized that he knew deep inside that he would never ever take it _or her_ for granted.

"Of course I brought it!" Eric said, bringing his focus back. "It's one of my favorites too. Besides, you know I get a kick out of how much you enjoy it."

"What's not to enjoy?" Calleigh said, quirking an eyebrow at him. "It takes place in Miami; it's got fast cars, big explosions, lots of guns, and a most importantly a _very_ hot Will Smith."

"Oh, I see. The truth comes out." Eric joked and she sent him a playful look.

"Actually, I like the Hispanic cop. You know, the one whose brother helps them out when they're in Cuba."

"Oh you do, huh?" Eric said, taking a step towards her. Unfortunately he didn't notice the sponge that was lying on the floor from earlier and the next thing he knew he was landing hard on his butt on the tile floor.

"Eric, are you okay?" Calleigh gasped out, quickly placing the DVD down on her kitchen table. But as soon as she assessed that he was fine the giggles erupted from her mouth. Eric looked up at her from his position on her kitchen floor, his mouth gaping like a fish as he watched her cover her own mouth with her hands.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" She said, from behind her hands and clearing her throat, she forced herself to stop laughing. Reaching her hand down in an offer to help him up she bit her lip in an effort to keep the bubbling laughter from spilling over again.

"Uh huh." Eric said and grabbed her hand. But instead of pulling himself up, he tugged hard so that she lost her balance and tumbled into his lap.

Sprawled sideways across his legs, her long silken blonde hair covered her shocked face but Eric caught a glimpse as she struggled to right herself. He grinned and didn't give her the chance, pinning her to lay over his thighs with his forearms.

"Say you're sorry and mean it." Eric said, his long fingers seeking out the spots along her ribcage that he knew she was most vulnerable and poking. At the sound of his very regal and very Southern-belle, Calleigh, letting out a high pitched squeal of laughter, he didn't care how childish this had suddenly become. She wiggled desperately, trying to escape his tickling but he was in the advantageous position with all the leverage.

"Eric! Eric…stop…this…right…now!" Calleigh said trying to catch her breath in between laughs. "I…mean…it! Stop…or…I'll…shoot…you!"

The threat lost most of its worth when it was immediately followed by a series of uncontrollable giggles. It was only when Eric felt a subtle shift in Calleigh's breathing that he relented. The struggle to pull air in was more than joking now and he quickly helped her to her feet, digging in one of the kitchen drawers at the same time. Pulling out an abuterol inhaler, he silently handed it to her.

Calleigh took one inhalation of the medicine, holding inside her lungs for a count of 15, and then slowly released it. Repeating the action, she frowned as she handed the inhaler back to Eric and noticed he wouldn't meet her eyes.

"Eric?" She said softly and finally he looked at her. The guilt that was displayed there tore at her heart but also stirred a small portion of anger. "Eric, I'm fine."

"I shouldn't have…I'm sorry, Cal." Eric said, rubbing a frustrated hand over his closely shaved head.

"Eric, I said I was fine." Calleigh said and stood, moving to place herself in front of him. "Alexx said that my lungs are going to be a little weak for a couple more months but I'm getting better every day. She said the best way to help is to exercise and that was definitely a really fun way to exercise them."

She stood on tiptoe again and kissed the underside of his chin. "Well, _one_ of the more fun ways."

The throaty purr with which she said those words went directly to Eric's groin and when she looked up at him from under her lashes, he knew that she had felt the reaction of his body.

Letting out a sigh and a small chuckle, he pulled her to him and held her close. She tucked her head under his chin and rested her forearms on his chest, placing her cheek against where his heart beat.

"I just can't…sometimes it just hits me; how close I was to losing you." Eric's deep voice made his chest rumble and Calleigh couldn't help the tiny smile that graced her lips at the feel.

"I know." Calleigh said softly. Uninvited images of Eric lying in a hospital bed with a bandage wrapped around his head, popped into her mind and she unconsciously squeezed him tighter. Eric must have sensed where her thoughts went because his own embrace grew stronger and they just stood there a moment before Calleigh let out small sigh.

"Okay, the beer is getting warm, Will Smith is waiting and I'm pretty sure that my stomach is eating itself." Calleigh said and Eric laughed, causing her head to bounce lightly on his chest.

She pulled away and Eric pressed a kiss to her forehead before releasing her. "Okay, you order the pizza and I'll pop in the DVD."

"Deal." She said and grabbing the phone that sat on the kitchen counter.

"Hey, Cal?" Eric said and she paused before hitting the "dial" button, looking at him from where he was heading into the living room. "Before the end of the night, I promise you that we'll show those lungs of yours who's boss."

Waggling his eyebrows at her, he didn't give her a chance to respond before he continued on his way to the TV. But as he turned on the DVD player, the sound of her delighted laughter surrounded him.


	2. It's A Team Effort

**Author's Note: Thank you everyone who reviewed and/or added this as a story alert. I'm on a nice little post-episode E/C high today so I decided to put up the next chapter. Enjoy and please review! :)**

An Introspective of a CSI Romance  
By Jaclyn Parker

Chapter 2: It's A Team Effort  
************************************************************************

"Do you think birds choose specific people to shit on when they fly overhead?"

Calleigh lifted her sunglasses off of her face and stared at Valera, who was lying on the poolside lounge chair to her left. Then, glancing at the person lying in the chair to her right, she saw that Natalia had a similar look of confusion and astonishment on her face.

"_What_?" Natalia exclaimed, the tone of her voice accurately expressing the feelings of both her and Calleigh.

"Well, I just watched a bird fly over me and was telling myself that if it pooped on me while I was wearing my new bathing suit, that I was gonna have Calleigh shoot it down." Valera said simply, raising her hand to shield her eyes as she turned her head to look at them both.

Calleigh let a laugh escape her as she and Natalia eyed Valera's hot pink, strapless tankini with black skull and crossbones every so often as accents.

"It's a cute suit, but not worth shooting an innocent bird." Natalia teased, putting her sunglasses back on with a grin. "_Mine_ on the other hand is extremely expensive and worth going after the whole flock."

The black bikini that Natalia was talking about had inch and a half, gold, metal circles at each shoulder where the halter strap attached to the top, one that connected the two breast cups, and one at each hip on the bottoms. Imprinted on these gold circles was the moniker of a very famous fashion designer and Valera rolled her eyes as she pointed it out.

"Well, who comes to a pool party wearing a $600 designer bikini?"

"I do when my younger sister, who happens to be a model for that designer, got me the suit for free. Not to mention is the reason we all got invited to this swanky little boutique hotel pool in the first place." Natalia answered simply. Valera just rolled her eyes again while Calleigh replaced her own sunglasses on her face and smiled.

Even she couldn't argue with that logic.

Calleigh had to admit that when Natalia had invited them to Anya's latest designer fashion shoot and subsequent private pool party, she had been hesitant. But when Anya had thrown in the slightly iridescent, aquamarine, string bikini that Calleigh was currently wearing by the same famous designer, the blonde CSI had caved pretty quickly. Then again the opportunity to wear a free article of clothing, that she wouldn't normally have splurged on, wasn't the only reason she had accepted. The opportunity to wear said free bikini in front of a certain someone had played a very large part in the scenario.

However her intended target was currently engaged in a hardcore game of pool basketball with Ryan and Anya's boyfriend, Ethan, versus a couple of the male models from the earlier photo shoot.

As if sensing her thoughts were on him, Eric turned and looked in her direction. Even though she knew he couldn't see her eyes through her dark sunglasses, she swore that he was looking into her gaze as if they didn't even exist. A minute later he had scored the final winning point for his team, with an assist from Ryan, and all of the guys were conferring by the side of the pool. It seemed that they would be taking a short break before coming back for a rematch.

Calleigh was smart enough to realize that she wasn't the only female whose eyes were fixed on Eric as he pulled himself up out of the pool. It was truly a sight to behold, with his muscles and washboard stomach, not to mention the fact that the act of emerging from the water combined with gravity had tugged his swim trunks to ride low on his hips and showed off that very delicious V that his groin muscles made. With the Latin inspired hip-hop dance beat that was pumping through the private pool's speakers, all that was needed for him to complete the image that he was stepping out of a woman's fantasy sequence, was for him to move in slow motion.

Calleigh shifted subtly on her chair, trying desperately to ignore the warm heat of desire that had just pooled into her lower stomach and was quickly spreading outward.

Ryan joined Eric on the side of the pool and Eric made a gesture towards the three reclining CSI women that basically read that he was going to ask them if they were thirsty. Ryan nodded and moved towards the private bar and grill, apparently intent on getting himself food now that Eric had mentioned it. But before Eric could head in their direction a female model stepped into his path.

She was tall, brunette, and incredibly curvy in the red bikini she wore, causing Calleigh to push her sunglasses on top of her hair to get an unobstrcucted and full color view. She couldn't help but frown at the sight of the model placing her hand on Eric's arm to get his attention.

Startled by the woman's sudden presence Eric paused, but then his face broke into a wide smile. As soon as he opened his arms, the brunette flung her own arms around his neck and hugged him tight. He rocked her back and forth a moment before letting go slightly, still keeping her within his loose embrace as they began talking animatedly.

Calleigh didn't realize that she had a white knuckled grip on the arms of her lounge chair until Natalia and Valera each reached out to grab the hand closest to them and pried her fingers loose.

"Calleigh, calm down, girl! She's not after Delko." Natalia said, a chuckle in her voice. As her words punctured Calleigh's jealous fog, she suddenly seemed to remember where she was and who she was with.

Shrugging them both off, she flipped a long lock of her blonde hair over her shoulder and made a scoffing noise in her throat.

"Why should I care if she's after Eric? It's none of my business." She said, forcing her tone to be normal and carefree.

"Oh, yeah, cause it's none of your business who flirts with your boyfriend." Valera said and Calleigh shot her a look.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Really, Maxine, I think you might have gotten too much sun today. Eric is not my boyfriend." Calleigh said, but even as the words left her mouth she felt a little sick to her stomach at the lie.

"Uh huh, right. That's the most _unbelievable_ protest from a secret girlfriend that I've _ever_ heard." Valera said and this time, Natalia giggled at Calleigh's look of exasperation.

After a moment of studying the faces of both of her friends and fellow coworkers, Calleigh let out a long sigh. She and Eric had been very careful not to let their relationship enter the work space but the other two women weren't part of one of the top CSI teams for nothing.

"Who else knows?" She muttered, raising a hand to her forehead in a weary gesture.

"Oh, pretty much everyone. Except Stetler of course." Valera said.

"And that's the way it's going to stay for as long as we can manage it." Natalia jumped in at the sight of Calleigh's suddenly much paler face.

In that second, the vivacious southern CSI was at an uncharacteristic loss for words. She looked away, focusing on a random nearby ficus plant as she tried to blink back the unexplainable tears that welled up in her eyes. While she and Eric had hoped that when it came out about them their friends wouldn't be angry, she never expected such a direct confirmation of acceptance or the fact that they had their backs with IAB.

Valera and Natalia seemed to understand that she needed a moment to collect herself and made themselves busy, adjusting their respective towels and bathing suits.

"But like I said before, AnnaMaria isn't after Delko." Natalia repeated herself a minute later, sensing that Calleigh was appropriately pulled together.

Calleigh looked at the other woman and raised an eyebrow. "You know her?"

"I met her a few years ago." Natalia said and a small frown marred her exotic features. "She and her fiancée Michael were good friends with Marisol."

Immediately the mention of Eric's stunningly beautiful sister, who had tragically died long before her time, caused Calleigh to look back over to Eric. The jealous concern she had earlier melted into a completely different kind of concern. Now observing the two of them with a clearer head, Calleigh noticed the way Eric's smile had become tight and that he was shifting on his feet every so often. His arms had dropped to his side and every now and then his fists would clench and unclench as if he didn't know what to do with his hands.

Her quiet perusal ended when Eric reached out and hugged AnnaMaria again. This time it lasted a little longer than the first one, but was much more subdued. Calleigh could see Eric squeeze his eyes shut tightly in an effort to rein in the emotion that was still plain as day on his handsome face.

When AnnaMaria moved away, back towards the group from which she had appeared, Calleigh fully expected Eric to continue on his way to them. But instead, he just stood still a moment before turning and slipping away in the direction of the pool gardens. They were laid out in an easily navigated maze like design, with different sections that housed four secluded hot tubs.

Neither Natalia nor Valera said a word when Calleigh stood and tied the sheer aquamarine sarong that matched her bikini around her hips. Slipping her flip-flops on, she cast a covert look around before following him.

She didn't have to go far for Eric hadn't even made it to one of the hot tub sections. Instead he had detoured to a section of the maze on the left where a small stone bench sat among several bushes of very fragrant pale pink roses. There was no surprise on his face about the fact that she had followed him when he lifted his head to look at her.

"AnnaMaria, Michael, and Mari were so inseparable when they were in high school that Mama used to joke and call them her triplets."

Calleigh silently walked to stand in front of him and his hands reached out to grasp her hips. Pulling her gently so that she stood between his legs, he leaned forward to rest his forehead against her flat stomach. She caressed the back of his neck ad waited patiently for him to continue.

"Even though they loved me, Isabel and Gabriela were too old to bother with their younger brother by the time I was in my teens. But no matter what, it never felt like that with Mari. During the summer vacation of their junior year, every single Saturday, we would drive over to Michael's house. While the girls hung out by his pool, I would help Michael fix up his old 1968 Mustang. Then when they got bored, AnnaMaria and Mari would sit on the front steps and make _really_ bad engine noises until we gave up and took them to the mall. " Eric said softly, his voice far away in memories from long ago. She could feel the hot tears that he had held back earlier beginning to fall against her abdomen.

"God, Cal, I miss her so much."

As his voice broke, Calleigh hugged him to her and let him give in to the lingering ache over the loss of his beloved older sister. It was a short release, only lasting maybe five minutes, but she could tell that it had drained him somewhat.

"Do you want to go home?" Calleigh asked sympathetically. After a long moment she felt Eric shake his head against her body.

"Nah, I just need a second."

When he relaxed his embrace around her waist enough, she shifted until she was sitting on his right leg, her arms loosely draped around his neck. He looked up at her, their faces practically level with each other in their current position. Calleigh leaned forward and gently rubbed their noses together in an "Eskimo kiss" before bending slightly and kissing him on the lips for real. Eric gladly kissed her back until he remembered who was wandering back at the pool area.

"Cal, what if someone from the team sees us?" Eric asked, pulling away reluctantly to look around them.

"It wouldn't matter." Calleigh said wryly, thinking back to her conversation with Natalia and Valera. "They know already."

"Wait, what do you mean _they know already_?" Eric echoed her, his voice rising. "_All _of them?"

"All of them." Calleigh confirmed although her thoughts strayed to their boss. She would have to ask Natalia and Valera if it was certain that Horatio knew. Either way, it wouldn't be much longer before she and Eric would have to decide if and when to tell him in person.

"Wolfe too?" Eric asked, pulling her out of her thoughts and Calleigh rolled her eyes.

"Yes, Eric. Ryan would be included in the word 'all'." She answered, chuckling as Eric groaned and buried his face into the hollow between her neck and shoulder. "Hey! Shouldn't that be my reaction? I seem to recall a certain someone claiming that they would run up and down the halls of work telling everyone we were together if he could."

"Yeah, but Calleigh…what about Stetler?" Eric said, lifting his head again and frowning. "You know, I meant what I said before. About switching to night shift. I mean, I love my job and I love working with the team but…"

The unspoken words "I love you more" hung between them and they both knew it. However, Calleigh just smiled gently and placed her fingertips over Eric's mouth.

"Stetler doesn't know and I was informed that it wouldn't get out from anyone on the team. They have our backs." She said and felt a small smile under her hand. She knew that Eric was feeling the same rush of pride and gratitude that she had felt earlier.

Lowering her hand again, she ran her fingers lightly over the scar behind his left ear before linking them with her other hand to form the loose hug around his neck again. "As for the shift dilemma we'll figure that out when we absolutely have to. For now, let's just enjoy not having to hide our relationship from our friends outside of work."

Eric shook his head and Calleigh knew that it was at how calm and rational she was being. Truth be told, she was rather surprised herself. But the more she thought about it the more certain she was, that what she and Eric had would stand whatever lay ahead, including IAB threats and shift changes.

Eric made a contemplative noise and she looked into his now mischievous expression.

"Does that mean…" Eric started to say but she giggled and cut him off.

"_No_, for the millionth time, that does not mean quickies in the firearms lab!" She said, her voice a mixture of exasperation and amusement.

"Damn it." Eric said jutting his lower lip to out in an exaggerated pout.

Her eyes were drawn to his mouth and Calleigh found herself momentarily distracted from whatever they had been discussing. Yet she was quickly brought back into reality at a distinct tugging feeling. Looking down she saw Eric's hand nonchalantly trying untie the right hip string of her bikini bottom.

"Eric!" She exclaimed, slapping his hand away, but he just laughed. Sliding the same wandering hand into her long silken hair, the other one coming up to splay against her back, he cupped the back of her head and pulled her towards him for another kiss.

As the kiss began to deepen Calleigh felt an entertaining sense of pride when she felt how the kiss, along with her sitting on his lap, was affecting him through his swim trunks. Although, when she moaned softly into his mouth and pressed her body closer to him, she mentally admitted that she definitely wasn't immune to their closeness. Not by a long shot.

"Hey!"

A familiar voice interrupted their lust filled haze and they broke apart, panting heavily.

"Okay, first of all, _very _inappropriate public PDA. And second of all, if you two are done making out like horny teenagers, Delko, Ethan, and I have some major male model ass to kick in a basketball game." Ryan said, standing at the entrance to their secluded spot in the hot tub gardens.

At the sight of Ryan speaking to them like catching them kissing was a normal occurrence both Calleigh and Eric blinked at him a couple of times, making them resemble owls. Scratching his head at their reactions, Ryan frowned.

"Riiiiiight." He said, dragging out the word and sighed. "Seriously, I mean it, Delko. You've got thirty seconds to get your ass in that pool. Don't make me get the hose!"

Ryan pointed at them, giving them a mockingly stern look before turning to disappear back the way he came.

Now that the shock of being caught had worn off, a deep blush crept up onto Calleigh's cheeks. Eric, on the other hand, let out a deep growl of frustration.

"If I accidently beam a fellow teammate with the basketball, does that count as a penalty for the other team or for us?"

"Eric, be nice." Calleigh warned but she bit back a laugh as she rose from his lap. He followed her example, reaching out to take her hand into his as he stood.

An instinctive protest came to her lips but to his surprise she closed her mouth again. Instead she just re-adjusted their hands so that her fingers were now entwined with his and tugged at him to start walking. When they reached the pool area again, Calleigh squeezed his hand before letting go and heading back to her lounge chair.

Taking off her sarong again she sat down, kicking off her flip-flops before stretching out her lithe legs.

"Everything alright in lover's paradise?" Valera asked casually, not moving or even looking in Calleigh's direction. Natalia didn't move either but Calleigh could tell that she was paying attention to the conversation.

"It's not paradise." Calleigh replied just as casually, re-applying a light sheen of the spray-on sunblock to her limbs.

"It's not?" Natalia asked and this time both of the other women looked at her in confusion.

As she lowered her sunglasses back down from atop her hair, Calleigh caught sight of Eric "accidently" hitting Ryan on the back of the head with the small rubber basketball. He shrugged an apology, his gestures seeming to explain that he had been aiming for the basket and missed. However, even from here, Calleigh could tell that Ryan didn't buy it for a second. Just before they resumed again, Eric subtly turned in her direction and she caught the quick wink he sent her before refocusing on the game.

Relaxing against the back of the lounge, a soft secretive smile appeared on Calleigh's lips as she closed her eyes and finally responded to Natalia's query.

"Nope…but it's definitely close."


	3. A Good Team

**Author's Note: Wow, thanks for all the encouragement everyone. I'm happy to know that I'm not totally sucking at this. LOL. There is an additional author's note at the end but for now...just enjoy as usual :)  
~JP**

An Introspective of A CSI Romance  
By Jaclyn Parker

Chapter 3: A Good Team  
************************************************************************

As Eric and Calleigh watched the officers take their suspect back to his holding cell, Eric turned to Calleigh and grinned in satisfaction.

"Wow, he started out badass but now he's almost ready to crack, I can tell. As soon as we get that DNA evidence, he's done for. Ya know, I've said it before but I'll say it again; We make a great team." Eric leaned forward so that only she could hear his next words. "Both in the lab and out of it."

He leaned back but at the look on her face, his grin dropped away.

"I need to talk to you in my lab. _Now_." Calleigh said and abruptly turned to walk in that direction.

As Eric silently followed Calleigh back to her firearms lab he took a moment to observe the sway of her hips. Normally he would have enjoyed the view but as he watched her walk, it only confirmed what he had already guessed: he was in _major_ trouble over something.

It wasn't her "_I'm Calleigh Duquesne and I'm Awesomely Sexy and Confident_" sway but the "_I'm a Pissed Off Calleigh Duquesne and I Will Shoot You If You Get In My Way_" sway.

Ah, but who was he kidding? Both sways made him love her just that much more because they were so inherently Calleigh.

Eric was pulled out of his thoughts when he realized that they were now standing inside her lab and she was glaring at him, her hands on the same hips that he had recently been admiring.

"Okay, Cal, what's up? What did I do?" Eric asked, frowning at the fire shooting out of her eyes.

"I can't believe you undermined me in there like that! I thought we were past all of that macho crap!" Calleigh said, the ire in her voice making her southern accent more pronounced.

"Wait, back up. What are you talking about?" Eric asked, honestly confused.

He thought back to the interrogation that they had just come from and other than the fact that the guy was one of the bigger and cruder jackasses that they had come in contact with over the years, he saw nothing that warranted her accusation.

"_You'd better knock off the attitude or you'll have to deal with me! And that is not something you want to do._" Calleigh mimicked Eric's words from earlier and he frowned even harder if that were possible.

Sure, he remembered saying that to the bastard that sat in the hot seat but he didn't see anything wrong with it. But looking into the furious green eyes of his partner, and more recently his girlfriend, it was obvious that _she_ did.

"Eric, you made it sound like I couldn't handle the interrogation and that you were just going to _have_ to take over for me!" Calleigh said, crossing her arms.

"Calleigh, are you serious?" Eric asked, his warm brown eyes widening in surprise. He shook his head and gave a small smile. "The way that guy was talking to you was ridiculous. I just wanted to knock him down a peg or two."

"Eric, I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself! _I...don't...need...your...help_!" She spit out.

"Cal, calm down. I would have done the same thing if it had been, oh I don't know, Boa Vista in there." Eric said shrugging and bless his male heart, he still looked confused.

"Really? Are you sure about that? Or was it really just because it was your girlfriend he was talking to?" Calleigh asked, emphasizing the word "girlfriend" quietly, but loud enough that he still heard it. Her emerald eyes searched his face for any sign that she was getting through to him.

Eric opened his mouth to answer but then closed it again.

Was it possible that she was right?

Yeah, the way the suspect was talking to her was degrading but unfortunately he knew that it wasn't the first time that it had happened. Hell, it wasn't even the first time it had happened when they were interrogating a suspect together. And while Eric knew that he meant what he said about jumping in if had been Natalia in the room, he did recognize that just maybe the extreme level of blinding rage and disgust that flowed through him might have been attributed to the fact that the scumbag had been addressing his girlfriend; _his_ Calleigh.

Eric looked up at her and knew that he didn't have to tell her his new line of thinking; she could read it on his face. And with the rigid way she held herself, her entire posture spoke volumes of displeasure with him. So instead of saying anything, they ended up in a "Mexican standoff" with one on one side of a table in the lab and one on the other.

They were so intent on staring each other down that neither noticed Ryan pause outside of the lab. His eyes flickered back and forth between the two of them for a moment before he shook his head and turned around.

The lower level CSI had only taken two steps away before he saw that Natalia also heading towards Calleigh's lab. In a causal and fluid movement he swung an arm around her shoulders and turned her back around.

"What the hell...? Ryan, what are you doing?" She exclaimed, her sleek brown hair whipping her in the face at the abrupt change in direction.

"I do _not_ suggest that you go in there right now." Ryan said, shaking his head again.

"What? Why?" Natalia asked, curiously trying to turn her head to peer back at the firearms lab that was rapidly disappearing from view.

"Let's just say that I think there's a minor lover's tiff going on and Calleigh's hands are _way_ too close to her gun for comfort." Ryan said and Natalia let out a soft snicker.

"Ohhhh…kay…well then let's give the trace results to Horatio instead. Hopefully by the time he heads off to find Eric, they'll be finished with…whatever it is they are arguing about." She said, taking the papers and evidence bags from Ryan's hand and shrugging off the arm he still had on her shoulder.

"Yeah, one way or another." Ryan said, pointing his finger like a gun and making a firing noise, before winking at her. It earned him another snicker and a slight shove on the shoulder before Natalia headed towards their boss's office.

Ryan watched her go for a second before frowning.

"No evidence to process, no new case, and two and half hours before I can go home. What the hell do I do now?" Not a moment later he grinned and turned direction again, muttering in a triumphant tone. "Time to bug Valera."

Meanwhile back in the firearms lab, neither Calleigh nor Eric had budged from their spots nor had either one spoken a word in the few minutes since the silence fell between them. Finally Eric couldn't take it anymore and let out a huff of air.

"Look, Cal, I'm sorry if I came across as 'undermining' you but yeah, you're right, that guy made me mad the way he was talking to you. Maybe it was worse because of the way I feel about you…"

"You see!" Calleigh jumped in, pointing her finger at him. "Eric, I was fine dealing with jerks like that before us and I'm fine dealing with them now. I don't need you to rescue me. I'm not a damsel in distress like in some fairytale."

Eric stared at her and then he blew out another sigh of frustration.

"Calleigh, listen to me for a second, okay? I _know_ all of that. And you know what else? I take it back. The way I reacted in there had _nothing _to do with the fact that we're dating now. You think this is the first time that I've wanted to punch a guy out for the way they've talked to you? The truth is I respect and admire you so much, as a CSI _and_ as a woman, that when I hear guys talk to you like that it pisses me off. It pisses me off because I feel like they should have the same respect for you that I do."

Eric paused and he watched Calleigh's mouth turn down in a small frown. When he knew he truly had her full attention he continued.

"Cal, I grew up in a house full of women and my…my dad…always encouraged me to have a love for strong and independent women. God, I get a kick out of watching the way you can make grown men look like they are going to pee their pants during interrogations. It's _incredibly_ sexy." Eric let out a small chuckle and then shook his head, his face becoming serious again. "But when a man, like the bastard we brought in today, calls you disgusting names or mocks you then the way I was raised forces me to take a stand. For my mom, my sisters, and for friends like Natalia and Valera."

Eric paused, leaning forward to push his hands on the table in front of them and looking her in the eyes. "And yes, maybe more importantly, for you; my amazing girlfriend who has to deal with the almost everyday bullshit of being judged by some people because she is a woman, even though she is a million times better at her job than anyone I've ever met in my life."

Eric pulled back again, crossing his own arms while he shook his head, adding with more than a little sarcasm. "And I'm sorry if you see that as 'undermining' you, but I guess that's just the kind of guy that I am."

Calleigh had stayed silent throughout his entire mini speech, never having heard him talk this way before. But the more she listened the more her green eyes had softened, along with her attitude. Despite the playboy ways that Eric had displayed in the past, including the "toothing", it was true that she had never seen him treat a woman with anything but courtesy. Even when they didn't deserve it, like that con artist woman.

Maybe she had been so wrapped up with defending her place in their "man's world" environment that she had taken it out on one of the good guys...one of the _best_ guys...again.

"Eric," Calleigh said softly, dropping her arms to her side with a frown. But before she had a chance to say anything else, the clearing of throat caught their attention.

"Everything okay in here?" Horatio asked in his quiet yet stern voice. His eyes moved from one CSI to the other, both of whom felt a flush of embarrassment rise.

"Yeah, H, everything's cool. What's up?" Eric said, unconsciously taking a step away from Calleigh.

But if she noticed his distancing from her, she didn't show it. Her classic poker face was back in place, complete with a sunny "Calleigh D" smile.

"Natalia and Ryan finished with their examination of the evidence in the Henderson case. I need you to enter the chemical they found and see if we can get a drug match." Horatio said, holding out a bag of evidence towards Eric.

Eric gave quick look towards Calleigh who was deliberately focusing on a point that wasn't him. Pushing down the internal war that was raging inside, the one telling him to stay and finish the tense discussion with his girlfriend, he instead walked forward to take the evidence from his boss.

"No problem." Eric said and, without a backwards glance, headed down the hall towards his own workspace.

Horatio paused and looked at Calleigh thoughtfully. "You sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine, Horatio." Calleigh said giving him another smile, but their ever observant leader quickly saw that it didn't quite meet her eyes. Feeling slightly uncomfortable under his perceptive gaze, Calleigh began to clear the remnants of some .38 caliber bullet casings from the table in front of her.

Horatio made a noncommittal noise in his throat and, lifting the sunglasses he had dangling from the front of his shirt, he tilted his head in her direction.

"Frank and I have to go talk to the DA about a warrant but when you see Eric again, tell him that I said you two did a good job in the interrogation earlier." He said and then his voice dropped and he added, "You guys make a very good team. Remember that."

At the last comment, Calleigh looked up sharply but all she saw was the back of his red hair disappearing down the hallway.

For the next two hours his words echoed in her head as did Eric's from before they were interrupted. And despite them both making sense, it was still a small shock to her when she found herself making her way to Eric's lab with a medium sized cup of Café Cubano.

Just as Calleigh entered she saw Eric grab a piece of paper fresh out of the printer and turn quickly to leave. They both caught themselves before there was a major collision and shifted nervously when they settled back into place a couple of feet apart.

Eric's eyes flickered down to her hands and Calleigh gave a slight start, remembering the hot beverage she carried.

"I, uh, I brought you some coffee." She said, mentally cringing at the painfully obvious statement. But to his credit, Eric said nothing. He just smiled softly at her and shook his head.

"Thanks, but I've already had like four cups in the last hour." Eric said and held up the paper in his hands. "As soon as I deliver this to H, the bathroom is my next priority."

"Nice." Calleigh said with a smirk on her lips and a roll of her eyes.

"Hey, it's not my fault that my coffee high from this morning wore off and I'm suddenly exhausted. I was up pretty late last night…through no fault of my own." Eric said and Calleigh's fair skin gave way to the pink blush that crept up onto her cheeks.

"Eric!" She exclaimed softly, her green eyes darting around as if expecting Stetler to be standing just around the corner. But even that didn't diminish the sparkle that Eric's words had put there.

Eric chuckled and moved around her, his one hand brushing against hers as he slid by in a caress that came close to holding hands. Calleigh couldn't help the tiny shivers that the simple gesture sent up and down her spine.

Just before he reached the door, Calleigh called his name again. He turned to look at her curiously, his body half in and half out the door.

"I'm sorry…about earlier. You know that, no matter what, we still make a really good team." She said, hoping that he would get her underlying meaning.

For a long moment Eric just stared at her, his chocolate brown eyes roaming over her beautiful, yet apprehensive features. Then a slow lazy smile made its way across his lips and suddenly it seemed as though a huge weight had just been lifted off of her shoulders.

"Yeah, I know we do." Eric said and with a wink he slipped out of the doorframe.

After a minute Calleigh headed back to her own space, lifting the cup of coffee to her lips every few seconds as she walked. Swallowing a sip of the hot liquid, Calleigh made a mental note to make sure that she stopped and bought some to take home.

Making up with Eric after a fight tended to require a lot of coffee in the morning.

******************************************************************************************************************

**Author's Note: Hey guys! I just wanted to apologize if Eric's rant seemed out of character. I always felt that one of the reasons he feels the way he does about her is because of her independence, but that doesn't mean he's not going to stand up for her if he feels she is disrespected. I just couldn't help but have him explain that to Calleigh. But...you can always let me know if you agree or disagree by hitting that little review button! ;-)**


	4. A Subtle Shift

**Author's Note: Hi everyone! The when and how of Eric and Calleigh saying "I love you" has been bantered around a lot lately, especially in the awesome group I belong to over at Talk CSI. So I decided to take a shot at it and this is what happened. This chapter is a little different than my usual writing style but when it came to me at 2AM, I couldn't get it out of my head until I wrote it down. I apologize if it's horrible! LOL Btw, I was asked about the movie I used in chapter one and I'm sorry for not responding before this. It was Bad Boys II (one of my own personal favorites) and if you haven't seen it, it's awesome!**

**Anyways…as usual…enjoy!  
****~JP**

An Introspective of a CSI Romance  
By Jaclyn Parker

Chapter 4: Love Is A Subtle Shift  
**********************************************************************

It had only been five months since they had gotten together and she worried that it was too soon. She knew that he felt it for her; she could see it in his eyes and feel it in the way that he held her.

But he wouldn't say it until she gave him the okay.

Until she said it first.

He had waited for her for so long…_she had made him wait for her for so long_…that she could sense he was scared that if he said it before she was ready he would just push her away.

She didn't blame him. Truth was that she was scared shitless.

Who wouldn't be when the dream guy you never knew you wanted suddenly came true in the form of your partner?

Your best friend.

Your lover.

No, he never said the words out loud in the daytime. But in the darkness of night when their bodies would pulse against each other in that beautiful, timeless, and passionate rhythm, he would whisper the words in her ear.

Sometimes in Spanish….a soft and sultry "_Te amo."_

Sometimes in Russian…a firm and nibbling _"Ya tebya lyublyu."_

But never in English.

It was almost as if he knew that it was okay to for her to hear it like that; that as much as he needed to say it, she needed to hear it.

But she hadn't been ready for it in English.

Until now.

L-O-V-E

Love.

How was such a small four letter word supposed to be enough to convey everything she felt about him?

That though he drives her completely crazy when he puts his feet up on the coffee table during a basketball game, it's the fact that he wipes it down later with a Pledge wipe that makes it all okay.

That there are some days when she is in her lab and catches a glimpse of him talking to another woman that she feels the urge to slap a sign on his forehead that says "Taken".

That she somehow automatically knows to reach out and touch him if they pass someone on the street that reminds him just a little too much of the sister that was stolen from his life.

That even when she is so angry with him that they sleep in their own apartments, she knows he will still call her so that she can hear his voice tell her goodnight.

That she's afraid that she actually might need him when she has made it a valid point never to need anyone in her life…ever. Want, yes. Need, no.

That she breathes him…

…aches for him...

…belongs to him.

**_No…  
they belong to each other._**

And because of that she is afraid.

She looks up into his face, the light from the TV screen flickering across his handsome features. She watches him chuckle at the action on the screen even though it is the fourth time in the past month she has made him watch this romantic comedy with her. Her heart expands in the knowledge that even though he had his heart set on finally watching that crime drama that came out on pay-per-view, he had just shrugged and let her put her movie on instead.

When she reaches up and traces his firm jaw line, his eyes move from the TV to look down into her face. His brow furrows as he see that she is looking at him with her beautiful green eyes, wide and glistening with some emotion he hasn't seen before.

He shifts, hitting pause on the movie that is now almost completely forgotten, and she can see he is worried that something is bothering her.

Her gaze flows over his face again and she knows it's time.

"I love you."

Her voice is soft and steady and clear, but for a moment nothing follows her statement but absolute silence. In fact, it is so quiet that she thinks they both might have actually stopped breathing.

But then a slow lazy smile spreads across his face and he leans down to gently press a kiss to her lips.

"I love you too, Calleigh."

It is a momentous occasion but oddly enough there are no flashes of lightening; no choir of angels descending from heaven; no fireworks going off overhead. There is no big display of tears or wild yells of triumph.

It is just a moment between two people, a subtle shift and confirmation of something that had been coming for a very long time.

They come together to kiss again, a little longer this time, with murmurs and promises of a more physical celebration later on. But for now they just resettle to finish watching the movie, his arms wrapped around her tightly with her head cushioned on his strong shoulder.

As he unpauses the screen, she finds herself sighing on the inside.

Looking back, even to just a few minutes ago, she wonders why she had been so afraid. Now, after all is said and done, it is shockingly and abundantly clear to her.

That, that one simple, small, four letter word had always been there, waiting patiently to be set free.

And now that it had...she couldn't wait to say it again.


	5. We're Only Human

**Author's Note: This chapter was inspired by an actual situation. I'm sure it wasn't the first time it's happened and I'm also sure it won't be the last. But I couldn't resist using it as one of my own E/C plot bunnies. I hope you enjoy!  
****~JP**

An Introspective of a CSI Romance  
By Jaclyn Parker

Chapter 5: We're Only Human  
************************************************************************

When Calleigh's phone buzzed next to her, she almost jumped clean off of the couch. Hitting the pause button on her DVD remote, she lifted it to read the text.

It was a simple message that read "I miss you" but she still felt a warmth spread through her. She was about to reply when the display changed and the phone actually started ringing in her hand.

"Hey." She said, opening it with a soft chuckle. Pressing her finger into the other ear, she struggled to hear the person on the other end. "What? I can't hear you!"

"I said, I know I just texted you but I wanted to call and hear your voice." Eric's voice came through, the loud pump of music along with it.

"Aw, well, I'm glad. How is your night? Having fun with the boys?" Calleigh said loudly, making sure he heard her over the din.

Being a very independent girlfriend, not just a person, Calleigh had no problems when Eric mentioned going out with Ryan and some of Ryan's friends for a guy's night. In fact, Calleigh had relished in the act of buying a small pint of Ben & Jerry's ice cream, putting her favorite chick flick in the DVD player and just settle in for some quiet personal time. And since they were going to be out late clubbing, they had both agreed that Eric would just crash at Ryan's place as to not wake her up when he traipsed in at some ungodly hour.

"Um, it's cool. I mean, it's okay. Not exactly what I expected, but...." Eric said, glancing around at his surroundings with an uneasy eye.

"The club not good? The music does sound kind of weird." Calleigh asked, frowning as she tried to place the song that she heard in the background.

"No, uh, it's not that…" Eric said, pressing his hand against his other ear as he strained to hear her. He would have moved to a quieter spot, but…well…there wasn't one.

"Well, maybe it's just an off night. You know how some clubs can be. We could go one Thursday or Friday after work and see if that makes a difference. Maybe invite Ryan, Natalia, and Maxine with us. You think we could get Horatio and Frank to go?" Calleigh teased.

"No! No, I don't think you'll like it here." Eric hurried to say and shifted again as he turned to take in the atmosphere of the club he was currently in. He grimaced when he realized that his absence had finally been noticed by the group he was with and someone was headed in his direction to grab him back. "Hey, babe, I gotta run. But…I'll call you tomorrow morning. Night!"

"Goodnight." Calleigh said, but she didn't know if he had heard her since the next thing she heard on the phone was silence.

Frowning she closed her phone and was about to put it down again when it vibrated in her hand. This time a full on grin, along with a blush, crept up on her face as she read "I love you" on the screen. She replied "I love you too" and sent it back immediately before un-pausing her movie.

Almost two hours later she had just been gearing up to fall asleep reading her latest James Rollins book, when the knock at the door summoned her from her warm and comfy bed.

Upon opening it, she found a smirking Eric leaning against the doorframe of her apartment. A loud honking noise sounded and she quickly rushed over to her living room window to watch a stretch Hummer limousine pulling away with a waving Ryan situated out of the back sunroof.

"You're welcome!" He yelled out into the late night air as the limo turned the corner and he disappeared from sight.

Having heard the door close when she had gone to the window, she turned to see that Eric had let himself in and was now leaning back against the door. His hands were tucked into the pockets of his dark wash True Religion jeans and his ankles were crossed like he was a model in a damn GQ photo shoot. Yet, as confused as she was, Calleigh had to admit that Eric looked delicious enough to eat despite the insanely late hour. He wore a slightly form fitting black T-shirt with a faded, light-gray, screen printed tribal symbol across his broad chest that only accentuated his muscular arms and trim body. Discretely licking her lips, Calleigh knew that he could easily sway her to engage in other nightly activities besides reading.

That was until he had opened his mouth and said, "Calleigh, I promise you I had _no_ idea."

She stopped short from where she had started to reach for him and tilted her head in confusion.

"What are you talking about?"

Pushing himself off the door Eric stood up straight, swayed slightly, and then finally settled firmly on his feet. "And since I was dragged along last minute through an invitation of a third party invitation I had no idea about what kind of place it was and that means it really isn't my fault that I was there at that place in the first place."

Calleigh was completely lost in the conversation now but noticing the oddly guilty look that he wore, she frowned and crossed her arms.

"What _exactly_ isn't your fault?" She said, drawing out the sentence slowly.

"About where I was."

"And where was that?" She pressed. "Didn't you guys go dancing at a club?"

"Oh, there was dancing alright." Eric muttered sarcastically, swaying again but quickly steadying himself.

"Oh for the love of…" Calleigh sighed, rolling her eyes. Getting a straight answer tonight from her slight intoxicated boyfriend was like pulling teeth from a crocodile. "Eric, _what_ _happened_?"

"Theguy'snightoutendedupbeingabachelorpartyandsowewenttoastripclub." Eric said his sentence so fast that it took Calleigh a moment to recognize that he was even speaking English.

Eric's eyes flitted to her face and he knew the exact moment that she understood what he had said. Her eyes went wide and narrowed again in an incredibly frightening glare.

"Did you just say that you ended up going to a strip club for a bachelor party?"

At the tone of her voice, all Eric could do was nod, never taking his eyes off of her.

"So that means when you called me and let me talk about going to the same club with our friends, you were actually surrounded by half-naked women in high heels gyrating on poles?" She said all of this very slowly, her accent thickening with every word. Again, Eric found his motor function consisted of nothing but a dumb looking nod.

Calleigh opened her mouth to speak again but then promptly shut it, apparently re-thinking what she had been about to say. She obviously needed a moment to process what he had just confirmed but Eric, unwisely, chose that same moment to try to defend himself.

"Look, Cal, Wolfe didn't say it was a bachelor party until we got picked up by the limo at his place. He said he would have told me before but he knew I wouldn't go and he needed me to go so he would know someone there."

"What is he? _Five_?" Calleigh exclaimed and somehow, even in the fuzziness that was Eric's mind at the moment, he knew that it was a rhetorical question. He waited a minute and when she gave him a look that meant he should speak again, he kept going.

"See, the other guys who went were the bride's family and college buddies of the groom. Wolfe was invited third party-like by his friend from his gym so he didn't really ask what kind of party it was until he had already said he would go. But even _he_ swears that he really thought we were just going to do a VIP bottle service at a nightclub or something."

This time an eyebrow raised and she tapped her foot impatiently. "Since when do a group of guys go to a _dance club_ for a _bachelor_ party, Eric?"

"I dunno! Ask Wolfe! He's the idiot who got us into this mess. We didn't even know what _'Sway'_ was until we got there. But you know something? It really looks like just a regular club from the outside cause I wouldn't have gone in if I had known!"

"And when you got inside and saw it was a strip club, why didn't you tell them you weren't interested and get a cab ride home?"

Eric paused, his male brain thinking hard. He might have had his fair share of alcohol tonight but he was 99% positive that her question did _not_ have a safe answer. So instead he just gave her the most sincere smile he could and shrugged.

"I don't know. But don't worry, Cal, it's not like I enjoyed any of it! In fact, I even told one of the girls, when she asked me out, that I was in a very happy relationship."

"And how did she get close enough to ask you out?" Calleigh asked and he swallowed hard.

Somewhere deep inside, "Rational and Sober" Eric knew he should probably quit while he was ahead and just plead for mercy from the court. Or the "Rational and Sober" Eric would have just told her the truth instead of searching his brain for a reasonable excuse. But unfortunately _that_ guy wasn't in charge of Eric's brain at the moment.

The guy who said this was: "Oh, well, she was giving a dance to the groom who was next to me so she was pretty close."

"Really? The groom was the only one who got special attention tonight?" Before he could answer, Calleigh's eyes narrowed and she pointed at his cheek. "By the way, you have glitter on your face."

Eric ran a hand over his face and sure enough there were bright sparkling flecks of gold covering his hand when he pulled it away to look at it. His chocolate brown eyes shot to hers and he opened his mouth to speak, but never got the chance.

"Tell me, Eric. Since the only glitter those girls wear is body glitter, how did it transfer from this girl's body to your face if the groom was the one she was giving a lap dance to?" Calleigh asked, almost too nonchalantly for Eric to feel even remotely safe in trying to avoid answering the question.

"Cal, I swear, one of the bride's cousins waved her over before I could say no. But as soon as she started doing her thing I said I wasn't interested. Then I pointed her in the direction of the groom and that was that. But, you know, you would probably have liked her. She was really nice and I think she sounded kind of Southern." Eric said, his brow furrowing and looking thoughtful, his mind having done that nice little drunken leap from the topic at hand to a completely non-appropriate fact.

"Oh, of course! I mean, since she was from the South and really nice, I'm sure we'd be _BFF_!" Calleigh repeated, her voice rising slightly in volume and pitch.

Eric froze and consciously vowed from that moment on not to speak again until he was absolutely sure that his girlfriend's gun was still locked away in the bedroom closet safe.

"You know what, Eric? I think you'd better go home before either of us says or does something stupid. Well…stupider." Calleigh said, her eyes roving over him and that eyebrow rising again in a critical gesture.

Despite with her obvious displeasure with him and troubling words, Eric couldn't help but just stare back at her. For some reason, he had just noticed that she was in what he liked to call, "bedtime Calleigh" mode.

She was dressed in a black tank top with pink lace edging and adorable black capri pajama pants with the same matching pink lace around the cuffs. He vaguely remembered Calleigh happily thanking Natalia for them this past Christmas and Eric made a mental note to thank the DNA specialist as well. With Calleigh's hair pulled up in a high ponytail and her face freshly scrubbed for bed, Eric could see the smattering of light freckles across her nose. Even with her green eyes flashing angrily at him, all in all, he thought she looked adorable.

"You are so adorable."

Eric heard himself saying his previous thought out loud and his body stiffened as he recognized his mistake immediately. Mentally he blamed that last tequila shooter for the complete lack of comment filtering his brain was doing tonight.

Calleigh's eyes widened and her jaw dropped slightly. Then she frowned and glared harder, if that was at all possible.

"_Go…home…Eric_." She managed to growl out.

"I, uh…I can't, remember? I don't have my car." Eric said softly and Calleigh closed her eyes in exasperation.

Of course, she remembered now. The image of Ryan waving like an idiot in the limo briefly flashed through her mind.

"Besides, I really don't think I should drive, do you?" He added then he conveniently swayed again as if to prove his point.

Calleigh guessed that she could call Eric a cab but looking at him and his lost puppy expression, she couldn't do it. Deep down, she knew that he really was apologetic. She couldn't see _her_ Eric at a strip club by choice, at least not anymore.

But still, if he thought he was sharing her bed covered in some other woman's body glitter and smelling like…_that place_…he had another thought coming!

Walking briskly to her hallway closet she pulled out a blanket and extra pillow. Placing them on the couch, she looked at him pointedly and sighed. Suddenly she wasn't angry with him anymore. Oddly enough she was more disappointed than anything.

"Just do me a favor and at least shower before you go to sleep? I don't want glitter all over my stuff." Calleigh said and Eric blinked slowly at her. He looked like he wanted to say something but wisely just nodded instead.

She turned on her heel and headed back towards her bedroom. Just before she closed the bedroom door she heard him call out to her softly.

"Night, Cal."

As Calleigh settled back under her covers and picked up the book that had been set aside almost an hour ago, she stared at the front cover without really seeing it. Hearing the door that connected the bathroom to the hallway open, her eyes flew to the closed door that led from her bedroom to the same bathroom. When she heard her shower start a moment later, she dropped her head back against the headboard with a loud sigh.

Calleigh knew that there was no way she would be doing anything else that night, let alone reading; she had too many other thoughts jumbled up in her head.

Marking her place, she put the book on her nightstand and wiggled down under the covers. After pulling out the band that held her ponytail on top of her head, she ran her fingers through her hair to let it fall around her shoulder blades again. Dropping the band on top of the book for easy access in the morning, she reached over and flicked off the bedside lamp, dousing the room in darkness.

The moon was only a small sliver and didn't shed much light in the night sky. But the little that did filter in through her bedroom window somehow found its way to land on the side of the bed that Eric usually lay on. To Calleigh it seemed to, almost mockingly, highlight its emptiness.

Then, completely unsolicited, her brain replayed the unpleasant conversation from her living room. She frowned anew and pounding her pillow with a fist, she flipped onto her stomach to bury her face into its softness. But as Calleigh turned her head again to stare at the wall, she instinctively began to listen to Eric's movements in the shower. She was surprised to find that as she did, an unexplainable sense of comfort came over her and her eyes began to drift closed.

Calleigh was in that in-between state of sleeping and not quite asleep when she felt a presence beside her. She wearily blinked her eyes open and waited for them to adjust to the blanket of night surrounding her. When they did she found Eric crouching by her bedside, his face level with hers. He was close enough that Calleigh could see a few stubborn water droplets clinging to his shaved head and she could smell the sharp clean scent of the masculine body wash that now had its own special place on her shower rack.

"Hey." He whispered, his voice deep and soft, but steady. The shower had not only washed away the physical evidence of his night but had helped clear the last remnants of the alcohol induced fuzziness from his brain.

Eric had just wanted to catch a glimpse of her when he cracked open the door leading from the bathroom to her bedroom, to make sure she was okay before he headed to his own banished sleeping area. But upon seeing her face in the moonlight he knew he had to talk to her one last time before they both went to sleep.

Leaning forward, he placed an elbow on the bed and gently reached out to brush a lock of her hair away from her face.

"I didn't mean to wake you. I…I just wanted to say again that I'm sorry."

When she didn't say anything, only stared at him with her mouth turned down in a small frown, he continued.

"I should have told you were I really was tonight when I called you and you were also right in saying that I should have left when I found out what type of club it was in the first place."

Calleigh opened her mouth but he placed a finger over her lips and shook his head.

"Not because I knew _you_ wouldn't like it, but because _I_ didn't like it. Calleigh, you know I hate those places. Maybe some guys enjoy that kind of thing and I guess, if I'm being honest, maybe once upon a time I did too. But you have to know that was before I found out some things."

With Eric's finger still pressed against her lips Calleigh couldn't speak but when her brow furrowed, he answered her silent question anyway.

"It was before I found out that the only reason I agree to go to the gun range with you on our days off is because of the cute little look of happiness that you get when they show you the wall of guns for you to choose from."

At that Calleigh rolled her eyes. She had only made him go twice…in the last month anyway. Even though Eric saw her gesture, he kept going.

"Or before I found out that if I'm missing one of my 'U of Miami' sweatshirts to check that secret spot you think you have in the back of your closet."

When Calleigh's eyes widened, he just smiled at her and leaned forward to kiss the tip of her nose. It was cute how she thought he didn't know she was slowly but surely stealing pieces of his wardrobe to wear at her leisure.

"It was before I found out that walking in on you dancing around your kitchen in nothing but your bathrobe while singing along to Rick Springfield was one of the sexiest things I've ever seen in my life."

Calleigh felt a blush rise on her cheeks as she thought back to that day. Instead of laughing at her, he had thanked her for letting him see the real her and then he had made love to her right then and there. She had joked afterwards that she would never be able to eat at her kitchen table again without having hot flashes…and she was right.

Removing his finger from her lips, he began stroking her hair again. He looked deeply into her eyes and sighed softly.

"It was before I found out that, when said by the right person, the words 'I love you' can make a grown man cry from happiness."

Her eyes closed and she felt a tear slide down her cheek at the sincerity and awe in his voice that accompanied his words. She took a moment to compose herself and when she opened her eyes again there were no more tears but they still shined brightly, even in the dim shadows.

Despite knowing that Eric loved her, the revolting mind-set of jealously and doubt had grabbed hold of Calleigh tonight when she had found out where he had been. Going to the club because he didn't know was one thing, but going _and staying to participate_ was another. As ridiculous as it might seem on the outside for a beautiful and normally confident woman like Calleigh to have those feelings, in the end she was still a woman in love. And because of that, for a brief moment, Calleigh had wondered if Eric hadn't told her where he was tonight because what he had seen at that club had been preferable to coming back home to her.

"Eric, why didn't you just tell me? When you called me earlier? I might not have liked it but it was better than what ended up happening because you _didn't_ tell me." She finally whispered and he shrugged, frowning.

"I don't know why, honestly. Male pride, maybe? Too much alcohol? Fear that you'd shoot me?"

Eric said the last one with a teasing smile and despite the situation, her lips twitched in a return smile. His slipped back into a frown and he became serious again.

"Maybe it was shame. Shame that I was even_ looking_ at those women when I could have been here with you, holding perfection in my arms."

Calleigh sighed and lightly shook her head on her pillow. She knew that he meant every single thing he had just said to her and with those words he had eradicated the ugly feelings she had churning inside since this whole ordeal had started.

"You're so corny sometimes, you know that?" She asked softly. At her words Calleigh watched Eric's shoulders drop and she feel the tension that had been radiating from him finally leave his body.

"Yeah, but you love it." He said and this time she did chuckle when she felt it bubble up inside of her. Eric looked up and caught sight of the clock sitting on the other nightstand; the one on "his side" of her bed. "It's really late. You should get some sleep."

He leaned forward and kissed her lips lightly before standing and moving to go back through the bathroom to the living room couch. As he opened the door, the light from the one lamp he had left on in the living room showed her that he was clad only in his boxer briefs, the towel from his shower still clutched in his one hand.

"Where are you going?" Calleigh asked, her voice still soft. She watched as he paused and turned to stare at her in the bed.

"I was going to go sleep on the couch." Eric said, frowning. A painfully hopeful look crossed his face and his eyes flickered towards the empty side of the bed. "Unless…you want me to sleep in here?"

Calleigh squinted up at him as the light from the living room harshly fell directly on her face while she thought. Sure she could make him suffer by spending the night on the couch, regardless of the fact that she had forgiven him. In fact, she knew many women probably would have. But it boiled down to the fact that she simply didn't care what "other" women would have done. Truth was she loved him and wanted his arms around her as she fell asleep and that was that.

She didn't say anything, but instead turned her head and reached out to pull back the covers on his side of the bed. Before Calleigh could even count to thirty, the light in the living room had been turned off, the towel had been discarded, and he was climbing in the bed with her. She immediately turned onto her right side and felt his one arm slide under her head as a pillow while the other one wrapped around her waist to tug her back towards him. Their bodies molded together front to back as naturally as two puzzle pieces interlocking in place and Calleigh placed her left arm over top of the one that Eric had around her stomach.

He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the back of her head, nuzzling his nose in her long hair and sighing in contentment. She rolled her eyes but it was a meaningless gesture because she knew exactly how he felt. Calleigh closed her eyes and just as the fogginess of sleep began wash over her, she nudged him in the ribs with her elbow.

"Eric?"

"Hmm?"

"I love you."

"Mmm, good because I love you too."

Silence settled over them before she nudged him again and he groaned, burying his face deeper into the crevice between her hair and his pillow.

"Eric?"

"Yeah, Cal?"

"Just to let you know…"

"Hmm?"

"...that even though I love you..."

"Mmm-hmm?"

"...if I even find _one_ speck of glitter on my sheets tomorrow, I still might shoot you."


	6. Rainy Days

**Author's Note: Thank you all for being so patient with me and this story. I was hit by some inspiration in the form of several songs on my iPod during my recent camping trip and so you should be getting some pretty regular updates for a while (aka until writer's block rears its ugly head again LOL).**

**While I don't do song fics (anymore), like I said, the next couple chapters were song inspired and I give full credit to these two songs for helping me out in this one: _There's Something Sexy About the Rain by Kenny Chesney_ and _Raining on Sunday by Keith Urban_. Even if you aren't a country fan I highly recommend you listen to them, especially the first one. They are just beautiful and calming songs.**

**Anyways, here's the newest chapter, lemme know what you think!! :)  
~JP  
**  
An Introspective of a CSI Romance  
By Jaclyn Parker

Chapter 6: Rainy Days  
************************************************************************

They spent a lot of their downtime at Calleigh's apartment, mainly because of its proximity to work, but they were spending more and more time at Eric's place on the weekends.

The red roofed ranch house had been found a couple years ago through his Uncle Tomas and when Eric had learned of the asking rental price he had jumped on the deal like a lion on a wounded gazelle.

The two bedroom, one bath, adobe looking home was in pretty good condition with an updated kitchen and bath and designed with full on South American accents throughout, like the multicolored splashes of tiling amid warm earth tones. This old world charm was only added to by the house's location in a mostly Hispanic neighborhood during which every night in the summer the beat of Latin songs pounded through the streets from a nearby party. Calleigh and Eric had attended several, whether they knew the homeowner or not, since the philosophy of these backyard gatherings was always 'the more the merrier'. And even though Eric rarely threw one of those backyard parties himself, there was almost always a beat of the same sexy rhythmic music playing throughout his house. This, more often than not, led to the two of them swaying around the rooms while going about their lazy day.

Except for today.

Today they sat in silence at opposite ends of the couch in his living room, the last words of their argument hanging in the air.

"_Well maybe I give a damn more than you do."_

As the words left his mouth a look of regret had followed especially when Calleigh's green eyes flashed hurt and her lips turned downward in a frown. But he didn't take them back, only set his jaw in a stubborn clench and forcing Calleigh to look away before he saw the sheen of tears in her gaze.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Eric run a hand over his close-cropped hair and drop his head back against the back of the couch with a long sigh. His hand ran over his hair again and then down his face as he squeezed his eyes shut tightly.

Even though she was still upset, Calleigh knew that he really hadn't meant what he had said. As hard as they tried, the stress of their case had finally found its way into the solitude of their weekend. It wasn't surprising though, given the nature of the crime.

A whole family had been annihilated in their beds while they slept; a mother, a father, and twin girls barely over the age of three. Even the family dog hadn't escaped the madman's brutality; his body had been found in a position that had told the CSIs that he had tried to protect the two little girls with his dying breath.

The whole team had been called out to the scene on Tuesday and by Friday the poor Williamson family had been no closer to receiving justice than the day they had been found. Everyone's emotions were running high, causing some tension in the lab, and finally, amid severe protests, Horatio had ordered them to regroup and come back in on Monday thereby hopefully getting some new perspective. No one liked the orders but they had all known that he was right. The Williamsons deserved them all to be at the top of their game if they were to catch this killer.

Saturday had been slightly easier to ignore the horrific work week as the day had been in the low 80s with a beautiful breeze, necessitating a day long trip to the beach. Today however, even though it was still in the high 70s, the sky was filled with metallic gray clouds and the air was heavy with moisture.

In fact, as Calleigh stared out the long French doors that led to Eric's side and backyard from his living room she could see the small drops of water begin to splatter against the glass. She watched the light rain for a long moment before coming to a firm decision.

As she stood Eric's eyes snapped open to watch her in confusion as she walked over to turn his stereo system on low, causing a soft bachata rhythm to echo out into the room. He grew more bewildered when she slid open his backyard doors and then headed over to stand in front of him with a hand outstretched.

"Cal?" Eric said, his brown eyes searching her face but she just shook her head. He took her hand and followed her until she led him to the door and started to step out.

"Cal." He said, this time her name on his lips a slight protest and his brow furrowing.

She let go of his hand and turned, walking backwards away from him with an enigmatic smile on her lips. The sound of the music from the living room played softly along with the light rain, almost keeping beat with the drops of water.

As he watched, Calleigh tipped her head back and spread her arms wide. She did a slow spin, her eyes closed and the water creating little rivers down her porcelain face. The red and white cotton sundress she wore began to cling to her body and her bare feet were making little footprints in the mud that was beginning to form on his green grass.

When she stopped she was facing him with her green eyes now opened again and focused on his face, the same bewitching smile on her mouth. Her golden hair was slicked back from the rain and the little amount of sunlight that was showing through the clouds glistened off her wet skin, making it appear as if she was glowing. Her hips swayed to the music drifting outside and she beckoned to him with on slender finger.

In that moment, Eric was pretty sure that he had never seen anything so damn sexy in his entire life.

Silently he followed her out into the backyard and the warm water immediately started to soak into his clothing. Just before he reached where she stood, she darted away from his touch, a giggle in her throat and a mischievous look in her eyes. Eric caught on to the game quickly and for a few minutes they played chase around his yard. Finally he caught her around her waist and hoisting her up, he swung her around in a wide dizzying circle. Calleigh's head flew backwards, landing on his shoulder, and a full bodied laugh escaped her causing Eric to smile brilliantly as it surrounded him.

He let her slide down his body until her feet were once again on the now soggy ground and turned her into his embrace. They came together wordlessly in what some would call an old fashioned dance position with her left hand on his shoulder and the right tucked into his own left as he held them away from their bodies. His other arm was wrapped loosely around her waist and she instantly tucked her head under his chin as they began to dance in perfect tandem to the rhythm of the music. Eric inhaled deeply and then nuzzled her wet hair as the scent of fresh rain mixed with the strawberry-vanilla that was always decidedly Calleigh.

"I love rain in the summer. It feels like a million kisses on my skin from the clouds." She murmured, her voice soft as it reached his ears.

Eric chuckled and the rumble of it sent tiny vibrations through her body. Then she felt his head dip down and his lips found their way to the little hollow at the base of her neck on the right side. A low moan escaped her, followed by a violent shudder. In view of the fact that the temperature had only dropped a few degrees since the rain started they both knew that it hadn't been due to her being cold.

Calleigh lifted her head and they both stopped dancing in the same moment that their eyes locked. She watched the water drops slide down his forehead to drip off the end of his nose and studied the enhancing effect the water gave the long thick eyelashes of his that she loved so much already. When she unconsciously licked her lips Eric felt a tightness in his groin that had nothing to do with the fact that the rain had fully soaked through his Levi jeans. He leaned forward but just as his lips were about to touch hers a loud boom of thunder made them both jump about a foot in the air.

In their quiet interlude in the first stages of the summer storm, they had failed to notice the darker, angrier clouds that had rolled in. A flash lit up the sky, followed by another mind numbing crack of thunder and the two exchanged wide eyed looks. They bolted for the open living room doors at the exact moment the sky seemed to open up and release its bounty. By the time they crossed the 10 feet of backyard to Eric's house they were completely drenched.

Eric shut the glass doors behind them quickly and when their eyes met this time, they both burst into hysterical laughter. They stood there a minute, laughing as rain water streamed off of them to pool onto the warm red clay tiles beneath their feet. The laughter died down as the chill from the air conditioned room started to set in.

Eric looked around the room with a pensive gaze and then turned to her, holding up a finger. Within seconds he had stripped down to nothing but his smiley faced Joe boxer-briefs and was reaching around her to draw the floor length blinds closed. He held up his finger again to indicate that she should stay put and then swiftly disappeared down the hallways towards the master bedroom.

While Calleigh certainly didn't mind the strip show and subsequent view that followed, she was cold and wet as well. Wrapping her arms around her body she was about to call out to him when he reappeared dressed in dark green boxer shorts and a plain gray t-shirt. In his arms he carried with him one of the largest and fluffiest looking cream colored towels that Calleigh had ever seen.

Eric laid the towel down on the arm of the sofa and hurriedly walked over to her. Slowly he peeled her wet clothing from her body, article after article hitting the floor creating a small pile; her sundress, her red bra, and matching panties. Then, with just as much intense concentration, he began to dry her off with the towel, making a negative noise in his throat each time she made a move like she was going to help. He never once touched her with anything other than the intent to get her warm and when he determined that she was dry enough he wrapped the oversized towel around her shoulders, smirking when it covered her up all the way down to her shins.

Calleigh watched him silently as he stepped away and began moving around the room in very deliberate procedures. A little under ten minutes later he stopped and surveyed his handiwork.

On the floor in front of the couch was a pallet made up of what was certainly every blanket and pillow that Eric owned. He had also brought in at least 2 dozen mismatched candles, some of which she recognized as the ones he normally kept for in case the power went out and others that she could tell were giving off a light clean scent as they burned.

"Oh, Eric." Calleigh breathed as he led her to lie down on the pile of blankets, her eyes sparkling in the collective flickering light that danced around the room.

"Here, I thought you might still be a little cold." He said, helping her unwrap herself from the huge towel and sliding an equally enormous cotton T-shirt over her head.

Calleigh looked down and giggled at the sight of his second favorite Miami Dolphins shirt on her body, the hem hitting her mid-thigh. She knew the only reason she wasn't wearing his number one favorite was because she had "accidently" spilled ketchup on it the other day when he had teased her about her beloved New Orleans Saints.

"Take a good look, Buddy. This is the only time you'll see me in one of _these_ shirts." Calleigh said, twisting away from his fingers as they poked into her ribs playfully.

They lay on the makeshift bed, listening to the storm rage outside, just talking about this and that; movies they had seen or wanted to see, his oldest sister's new fascination with her pottery class, her father's latest case. As they talked Eric would occasionally run his fingers through Calleigh's hair, the golden locks drying in natural curls and waves, and the conversation would lull as she closed her eyes in contentment. They talked for hours, stopping only for a little bit of dinner that consisted of sandwiches and left over macaroni salad, before settling down again.

Finally, with Calleigh's head laying on Eric's lap and their fingers entwined, the topic of the case reared its ugly head again.

"They were just babies, Eric." Calleigh's quiet voice echoed in the darkened room and the confusion and despair were very palpable.

There were some days that Calleigh didn't think she had a maternal bone in her body but more and more lately the thought of children- with sun kissed skin and honey brown curls- had been invading her dreams. This latest act of violence against the backdrop of such innocence had affected her more than normal this time around.

The majority of the thunderstorm was long over, leaving the rain at just a soft patter and Eric listened to the sound a moment as he gathered his thoughts together for an appropriate response.

"We'll get him, Calleigh." He finally said, having no real answer yet to her unspoken question of why the whole tragedy had happened in the first place.

The saying was often an empty one but they both believed in their abilities and those of their co-workers and knew, without a doubt, it was true.

After another moment's pause he added, "Starting tomorrow. I don't want to let this guy in yet; this day still belongs to us."

With a small sigh Calleigh snuggled closer into Eric's arms and he dropped a kiss onto the top of her head. She knew that he was right; Monday would come soon enough and with it the reality of the world around them.

But, for now, the two were content to just hold onto the piece of sanity they found when they were together and listen to the steady beat of the rain outside.


	7. Normal In Chaos

**Author's Note: I apologize for the incredible delay in between chapters for this story. I hope you guys are still out there and are still willing to take the time to read this story.**

**I honestly lost a lot of motivation to write (and even stopped watching the show) once it was obvious that TPTB were going to screw us over and act like the Eric/Calleigh romance never happened. But recently I realized that my attitude wasn't fair to the couple I adore, you guys, or myself. I _love_ Eric & Calleigh and if the show won't give us what we deserve after all these years then I might as well write about it the way I want to, right? There might be mentions of current cases or events that happened if I thought they were interesting but my chapters will most likely NOT be canon anymore (if they ever were to begin with, lol). ****So look for more chapters of this story, albeit probably sparingly at first, as I get back into the groove of the Hiphugger way.**

**Until next time, I hope you enjoy!  
****~JP**

An Introspective of a CSI Romance  
By Jaclyn Parker

7. Normal In Chaos

* * *

The sound of music suddenly broke through the darkened bedroom and after a moment of dual confusion, Eric felt Calleigh roll over and slap at the offending alarm clock. A crash and a muffled grumble of words told him that she had hit the small machine a little too enthusiastically and had knocked it off of the night stand. Another mumble and the bed shifted as she bent sideways to put it back, before slipping out from under the covers.

Calleigh barely made it a step before the sound of flesh hitting solid oak rang out.

"Son of a…"

Eric cracked an eye open at the sound of the almost curse in a soft Southern twang.

The resounding hiss of breath followed by the unmistakable rhythmic thud of someone hopping on one foot had him fighting back a chuckle. He listened to her hop around the floor for a moment and without turning his head, he could clearly see in his mind the picture she created.

Her long blonde hair would be sleep tousled and messy, hanging down over her face as she clutched her one foot in her hands. The sleep shirt she wore to bed would be creeping higher up her thighs as she hopped around, showing off her adorable pink and white hip hugger underwear. The more he thought about it, the more the idea of alerting her to the fact that he was awake appealed to him. Another sharp curse brought those thoughts to a halt. He was sure that he wouldn't be able to hold back the smug look on his face as he watched her hop around considering their minor argument before bed last night about just this situation happening…again.

It was actually the second time this week that she had stubbed her toe on the nightstand by her bed but whenever he tried to suggest moving it back an inch or placing a rubber strip on the corners all he got in return was a curt response of: "It's fine."

Eric listened to her head towards the kitchen and knew that she was starting the coffee pot. It was rare for Calleigh to drink coffee but on the days that she felt she needed it to function she could drink more of it than he did. Sure enough, soon the smell of the dark Columbian roast permeated the apartment and again he lay there listening to the next step in the morning ritual. The shower turned on full blast and he rolled over onto his back, staring up at the white ceiling. He calculated quickly and knew from experience that he had about another forty minutes before he even had to think about waking up to shower himself. Glancing at the glowing numbers on the alarm clock, he saw that he had guessed correctly so Eric contended himself to close his eyes again and listen to the sounds of his girlfriend getting ready.

When he opened his eyes again, 35 minutes later, it was to the new noise of the blow-dryer. He realized that the enticing sounds of the water and the early morning birds outside had previously lulled him back to sleep. Hearing the blow dryer stop, he turned his head and opened his eyes a little to watch a bathrobe clad Calleigh wander out of the bathroom. She tiptoed through the bedroom to head for the closet in the hallway where she kept her numerous amounts of hair products and other girly things he didn't like to think about.

Eric smiled as he lazily stretched his muscles and slid out of the bed too. Checking that the clothes he had brought over were laid out in the armchair by the window he didn't bother with pulling on his boxers on his way to the bathroom. What was the point if he was just jumping into the shower?

Catching sight of the hair straighter plugged in and ready for use, Eric couldn't help that his small smile grew larger at the idea that the golden strands he loved so much would be loose, super sleek, and flowing like a waterfall today.

He had just soaped up when he heard her re-enter the bathroom. The hiss of the flat iron on product covered hair confirmed his earlier suspicion and he contented himself with the fact that he would be able to sink his hands in her hair upon saying good morning.

A loud pop and even louder exclamation made Eric hurriedly stick his head out of the shower in concern.

He immediately saw Calleigh standing there, half dressed in a pair of black slacks and light pink camisole, staring incredulously at the hair straightener in her right hand.

"Cal?" He ventured to ask and she shook her head, frowning.

"It blew." She said, her voice dazed. "Do you see this? I only got through half of my hair before this thing went kaput! What am I going to do?"

"It's not that bad, Cal. I can't even tell the difference." Eric said, but even as the words came out he knew they weren't true.

One side of Calleigh's head definitely had more…volume…than the other. The raised eyebrow and look she sent him told him that even_ she_ knew that _he _knew better.

Eric was about to say something more encouraging when an acrid odor reached them and he wrinkled his nose.

"Is something burning?" He asked and Calleigh's eyes widened.

"Oh my God, the coffee!"

At least, that's what he _thought_ she said since she raced out of the bathroom so fast he might have imagined her saying anything at all.

But after finishing his shower and putting his own clothes on, Eric walked into the kitchen to find her still fiddling with the settings on the brand new coffee maker they had picked up that weekend.

"Good morning, Babe. Want me to see if I can fix it?" Eric said, as he concentrated on buttoning the left cuff on his dark red button down shirt.

When he raised his eyes, the death glare he received in return made him pause and unconsciously take a step back.

"It is _not_ a good morning and _no, _I don't need you to fix _anything_." Calleigh said, enunciating every word slowly. "I'll just throw this stupid thing out and grab some real coffee on the way to work."

Eric noticed this and very smartly just nodded along with her, sidestepping her to reach for an apple on the kitchen table.

"Okay." Eric said, just as slowly and sat at the table. "I'll just wait here until you're ready to go."

Calleigh looked at him like he had two heads and he swallowed the bite of apple he had just taken.

"Your car, Cal. It's in the shop, remember?"

"You know what, Eric? You can..." Calleigh started but in the end just swallowed the rest of her unladylike phrase before gesturing to the doorway. "Never mind, can we just...go?"

Wisely, Eric simply nodded and motioned for her to go first. Normally his chivalrous attitude would have gained him a gentle and affectionate smile. But this morning it just received an irritated eye roll and a loud sigh as Calleigh brushed past him, hastily pulling her hair back into a thick braid.

Other than a brief thank you when Eric stopped at a drive-thru donut and coffee shop the car ride was filled with a somewhat tense silence. The arrived at the lab with only a couple minutes to spare before they had to clock in for the day and once through the checkpoints they went their separate ways.

The morning started out slow enough until a report came in about a young woman's body found in an empty condo in very affluent part of the city. Only a few hours later they had gathered an overwhelming amount of facts and were starting to piece the puzzle together.

The condo turned out to have been the site of a raving party only a couple nights ago while the owners had been away visiting relatives up north in New York City, New York. From the lack of prints and the anti-septic smell that hung in the air, they knew that the place had been professionally cleaned afterwards. However, the girl's body temp and decomposition showed that she had been dead at least a few days before the night of the party. The lack of blood or any disturbing evidence of that nature around the corpse meant that the condo was just a dump site and that she had been killed somewhere else. The only set of prints they did find came from under the expensive diamond watch that the beautiful blonde woman had been wearing. It was established that the prints belonged to the 23 year old son of a multi-millionaire business mogul and that was when all the trouble started.

After getting confirmation in Natalia's lab that there was enough semen present from the swab taken from the inside of her right thigh to compare DNA to that of a suspect, the group split up.

Eric and Ryan headed back to the condo in order to see if they could find anything to back up their new theory while Horatio and Calleigh accompanied Frank to try and get a judge, any judge, to sign off on a DNA test warrant for Ken Hudson, Jr.

As it turned out, Eric and Ryan had gotten the easier part of the plan when, after talking to three different judges, it looked like the Hudson's had more influence than they initially thought. Time after time Frank, Calleigh, and Horatio were turned down for a DNA warrant due to "lack of evidence"; an excuse that was growing weaker by the judge. After much hemming and hawing, Frank managed to track down a judge who didn't seem to fear the wrath of the Hudson family name but she was currently in the middle of a trial until four o'clock that afternoon.

The moment Judge Katherine O'Malley appeared out of the court room, Frank jumped on his chance to plead their case. Unfortunately so did Mr. Kyle Polk, the Hudson family attorney, who had gotten wind of their intentions and shown up as soon as he could slither out from under his rock.

Calleigh and Horatio got their two cents in with the more scientific explanations but in the end they were left out in the hallway to pace while Judge O'Malley allowed Frank and the Hudson family attorney into her chambers to discuss the warrant in further detail.

On her fourth trip down the lengthy ornate hallway, Calleigh's cell phone began to vibrate in her pocket. Stopping just shy of the water fountain by the judge's door, she promptly answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Sexy, what are you up to?"

Calleigh's eyes widened slightly at greeting and she sent a quick glance in Horatio's direction. Seeing he was still seated on the bench by the door, she discreetly moved far enough way to hold a conversation.

"Eric?" Calleigh asked, her soft southern drawl tinged with confusion. She plugged a finger in her other ear and hunched over the phone as if getting closer to the device would provide some clarity to what was going on.

"Who else would be calling you sexy over the phone?" Eric asked and Calleigh could hear the soft laughter in his voice.

Calleigh's eyes narrowed and she frowned. Reasons as to why he would be talking to her this way during work hours swirled around in her head until one stuck out and caused her to suck in her breath in panic.

"Eric, are you okay? Is there someone with you that is making you talk like this?"

Visions of Eric being held hostage in some dingy basement with a gun pressed to his temple flashed in her mind's eye. Before she could straighten to motion to Horatio that there was a problem Eric's low chuckle sounded out in her ear.

"No, Baby, I'm fine. I'm my way back from the second go around at the crime scene and I just wanted to hear your voice."

Calleigh froze and her previous feelings of fear and panic slowly began to melt away into a mixture of frustration, anger, and incredulity.

"_Excuse me_?" Calleigh asked, her shocked voice echoing in the marbled hallway.

She glanced back over her shoulder and noticed that Horatio was now watching her with an eyebrow raised. Calleigh sent him a quick casual nod and smile before turning her attention back to the phone.

"Have you _lost...your...mind_?" Calleigh whispered harshly, her green eyes wide as she frantically tried to keep her voice low.

"No, I just miss my sexy as hell girlfriend and thought I'd call her to say hi."

Calleigh stood stock still for about a nano-second before she launched into her tirade.

"Eric, it is 4:55 and I am standing in the hallway of the courthouse waiting for a judge to sign off on a warrant that, in essence, would only be in effect until 5:30 tonight. Our suspect is a major flight risk and very well connected, as evident by the foot dragging going on in almost the entire legal district including our current judge's chambers. Not to mention our boss is standing a mere 5 feet away from me and you're calling me to _flirt_?"

There was a long silence on the other end before a small grunt.

"Okay, well, when you put it like that it does sound kind of bad," Eric said.

Calleigh had to force back a small laugh and was about to say something else when the door to the judge's chamber opened up. An obviously angry Kevin Polk stormed out with a grinning Frank stepping out right behind him, waving a folded up piece of paper.

"I gotta go, Eric. We got the warrant!" Calleigh said, sending Frank and Horatio a grin.

"Go get 'em, Sexy," Eric said loudly in her ear.

"You're insane," was all she replied.

With a shake of her head, she hung up her phone and hurried to follow the two older men as they all fast tracked to the parking lot. But even as she caught up with them, she knew that the wide smile on her face was there to stay.

Despite the final success of the obtaining the warrant and, after a bit of a struggle, the actual DNA the case hit quite a few more roadblock as many of their cases tended to do. But Eric and Ryan had managed to get enough evidence to ensure their suspect was confined to his parent's house while Natalia could run the DNA comparison testing overnight. They all knew in their gut that the Hudson kid was guilty so there was no additional pressure to stay after hours and monitor the results.

Since Natalia had offered to drop Calleigh off to retrieve her car from the shop, Eric had gone out with Ryan for a beer and to watch the first half of the Miami Heat game. When they went into halftime with a deficit of more than 60 points, both men decided to call it an evening.

As Eric swung his car onto his street, he was surprised to see Calleigh's car already parked in front of his house. By the time he had pulled into his driveway and gotten out of the car, Calleigh had gotten out of her own and was leaning against the side of it, waiting for him.

"Hi," Eric said softly, walking halfway down the driveway and stopping.

"Hi, yourself," Calleigh replied, smiling at him.

"What are you doing here? Did you come right after work? Have you been waiting this whole time?" Eric began asking questions and only at the sight of her bemused expression did he realize he wasn't giving her a chance to answer any of them. "Sorry."

"It's okay." Calleigh said, grinning. "No, I've only been here a few minutes. Ryan called me right before you left the bar."

"What for?"

"With my attitude today, I think Natalia might have mentioned something to Captain Annoying earlier about us fighting even though we weren't. And you know Little Boy Nosy, he can't resist playing Mr. Fix-It from time to time."

"That's quite a few nicknames you just gave Wolfe," Eric said, his lips turning upwards in that devastatingly sexy smirk of his.

"And he earns every single one," Calleigh deadpanned.

"Very true," Eric acknowledged and then tilted his head. "Seriously, Cal, what are you doing here?"

"Well besides wanting to spend the night with my boyfriend, I feel like I owe you an apology."

"You know I never mind you wanting to spend the night but what's the apology for?"

"I know I wasn't the most pleasant person this morning...or this afternoon, really."

"Cal, everyone has bad days," Eric interrupted, "You are entitled to a couple too."

"Hmmm," Calleigh murmured and moved closer to Eric, her arms dropping from their position across her chest to reach towards him. He didn't hesitate to open his own and wrap her up in them, especially as the cool of the night air started to register.

Calleigh looked up at him, her green eyes sparkling as she kissed the underside of his chin. He grinned down at her before leaning over to gently kiss her lips.

"Do you know how wonderful you are?" Calleigh asked as she batted her eyelashes coquettishly.

"Yeah, but you can always tell me again." Eric said as he guided her towards the front door with a hand on the small of her back. Calleigh took the house key form his other hand and turned it in the lock.

"Oh, I don't plan on telling you anything. _Showing _you, however..." Calleigh said, throwing a look over her shoulder that left no doubt as to her meaning as she swung the door open.

Eric grinned at her and wrapped her up his arms again as they crossed the threshold of the front door. Looking down at her as he kicked the door shut again, he waggled his eyebrows.

"Go get 'em, Sexy."


End file.
